Unloading device



M9, 195% P. PENBERTHY fi UNLOADING DEVICE Filed Dec. 10, 1946 Sheets-Sheet 2 P. PENBERTHY Jan. W, 1950 UNLOADING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 10, 1946 jam. 1%, EQSQ P. PENBERTHY UNLOADING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 10, 1946 Patented Jan. 10, 1956 EST 1 OFFICE UNLOADING DEVICE Paul Penberthy, Glendale, recur. App ica ion e e b 10, 951a mall? 20 Claims, (01. ch -44) M in nt on e a es o ma er h paratus and particularly-to an apparatus for facilitating the unloading of lumber'from railway cars.

Lumber is frequently delivered to lumber yards and wood processing plants in or on various types of railway cars, sueh as fiat cars, gondolas and box cars and when loaded, for example, in box cars it is-the usual practice to pile the boards within each end of the car with the piles extending nearly to-the roof thereof and to leave sufilcient room at the router oi the car to enable workmen to enter the car and unload the boards or strips, piece by piece. *Beeause of the relatively small clearance .QPenjng between the two piles of lumber it is the usual practice to withdraw each board from the pile in an oblique direction and to pass the leading end of the board outwardly through the relatively narrow doorway of the car. When heavy, hardwood boards, planks, joists and other strips are being unloaded they'are extremely difliou'lt to control and guide and it is necessary to employ the services of two or-mpre'workmen for this operation. This condition isbroug-ht-about by the fact that when thegreatenpart of the heavy board is projected putwardly through the door the board becomes overbala'nced m di/e ds to slide rapidly from the car to cause the leading endof the board to whip around violently thus preventing a serious hazard which causes injury to the workmen. To overcome this condition, one or more workmen are stationed outside the car 171) grasp-the=leading end of the board, these-workers then --withdrawing the board and placing it in a pile or upon a conveyor which transports 'it to a location where it is checked and graded and subsequently stacked. This method of procedure is carried out in unloading the entire car and results in a laborious, slow and expensive operation, it usually requiring approximately six to nine man-days sto completely unload a iull box .car when the boards are heavy and long. Since the boards are piled high in the car and considerably higher than the ground adjacent the track, it is extremely difiicult to guide the uppermost :boards through the doorway, it being customary to employ a wooden horse or other frame forsupportingthe board and upon which thesboard is pivoted. Unless an adequate number of ,workmen are employed to perform the unloading operation, the'box car is detained on the :track beyond :the time allowed for unloadins :and it is then necessary :to pay demurrage ohargesiwhich add to the cost of the lumber.

diflicu ti @XEQEFWQQ hhl hdih lum anuall i n ra lway by n r d h a h- 12min a ab e of med tatin and e ing th inlqa ng .c e a h by reduc n h number of an oh r iih is capable of posit It is one object o f my ment of' theiboards from the par. Thisobject may best be accomplished by providing a conveyor continuousl ova ble in apath parallel o e len th h he ear and 11? th ar of an inclined shut? prir lhhnemhh e nd between the conveyor and, the doorway of the car and ,ontq whi h the "hoar s are in ivid ly ce n i q j .iq ibQ I l e 1 9 saiclconveyor.

Another 23??? i P9 Rlw qg 1 a umb P h e a a u h am m mber of tr e i l shape having a-narrow receiving end disposed adjacent the doorway oi thebox c'arand a wider delivery end positidned-abgve the conveyor, a ridge bein g provided adjacent each of-the diverging lateral edges of "the -ramp niember for the purpose oi receiving and supporting the leading end of a =b'ca-rd slid-diagonally out of "the doorway and 40-1: providing resistance to the sliding movement of this end of -the board in a direction towardthe conveyor until the trailing end of the board is released and disposed on the ramp member, at which time the board is free to pivot on the particular ridge upon which its forward endrests and to slide down the ramp member. The combined pivotal and sliding movement imparted to the board results inthe boards assuming a position substantially parallel to the direction oii-movement of thec'onveyor so that when the board falls on to the conveyor it -will be transported thereby in the di-' rest-ion ofits-length. 1A second conveyor travelh n a .d ie 't :hh m o h first c nv may be advantageouslyemployed for receiving he ds rt a rie r. hifi sp y r a d conveying *theni -in the directionof their width to Q QZ h m y P? 'QhQQ SQQ fiii nd ck h r s he" e f hmher d ng pa a u the hhl aqih .qp ra oh er a ie t *h h .hh rhotes that the nt r o ra i a zhnlhh dh a si l workman stationed in-or on the railroad car and thus the heed" r i z er wo men st tioned de h car wa ih means era tion is entirely eliminatedand the cost of un: loading the hiateria-l-is redueed to a minimum.

Another objecteis (go-provide ajrarnp er which t m o q-h -ah qnh ha to a a t llYinliFl o v t he .hh m hh h ewh ryely controlling the move- 3 to be adjusted to various angles in accordance with the type of boards being unloaded and the relation of the pile of boards with respect to the doorway and conveyor. Through this provision the ramp member may be tilted to a substantially vertical position to withdraw its receiving end from the doorway of the car to permit moving of the latter along the tracks.

Another object is to provide a ramp member which is mounted for vertical adjustment so that its receiving end may be disposed at the proper height above the floor of the car and at a level which will greatly facilitate placing of the boards on the ramp member.

Another object is to provide in an apparatus of the character referred to means for feeding the. boards automatically from the'car onto the ramp member, said feeding means being adjustable to accommodate boards of various types, weights,

and sizes and to direct the boards at desired angles onto the ramp member.

, Another object is to provide in an apparatus of the type indicated, means in the form of a backstop for restricting the movement of the boards as they slide off from the ramp member and to positively guide the boards onto the conveyor.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of the type indicated which is adapted to facilitate the unloading of lumber from both ends of the car either separately, alternately or selectively without respotting the car or moving the apparatus to accomplish this result.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following specificationand the drawings, which are intended for the purpose of illustration only, and in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of my improved material handling apparatus, showing it applied to use in unloading lumber from a box car;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, shown part sectional on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged closs-s ectional view, taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; v

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal-sectional view of the ramp elevating and ramp tilting means taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; V i Fig. 5 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4;

amides transferred from the railway car 16 through the doorway and are slid into place on the moving conveyor belt 2i and so positioned that they extend lengthwise of the belt. The transferring and positioning of the boards are facilitated through the use of a chute or ramp member 30 to be described hereinafter. Referring to Fig. l, a second conveyor unit 3| is located at the delivery end of the conveyor belt 2| and has a pair of spaced, endless chains or other conveyor members 32 which are movable in a direction normal to the path of movement of the conveyor belt 2!.

Fig. 6 is a vertical-sectional view taken on line 8-6 of Fi 4;

Fig. 7 is a vertical-sectional view taken on line :i -l of Fig. 4; V w Fig. 8 is a sectional plan view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 6; and I Figs. 9 and 10 are perspective views of the inelined ramp member illustrating the marmer in which boards or joists are slid onto the ramp member in differentdirectlons and the manner in which the boards are guided onto the conveyor. Referring to the drawings in detail, the lumber handling apparatus is shown as applied to use in facilitating the unloading of boards [5 from the interior of a railway box car 16 which has a central doorway l1 and which is movable along a railway track l8. track l8 and extending parallel therewith is a conveyor unit 20 having an endless conveyor belt 2! extending around pulleys 22 and 23 rotatable at the ends of a relatively'long frame 24, the pulley 23 being rotated by any suitable means such as the electric motor 26 shown in Fig. 2. The conveyor belt 2! is made relatively narrow since it is intended for use in transporting the boards IS in an endwise direction.

The boards or other strips l5 of lumber are- Spaced laterally from the Gil Through this arrangement of conveyor units, boards which are advanced by the conveyor belt 2i ride off from the belt and are deposited on a table or platform 33 from which point they are moved in a direction away from the car 16 and at right angles to the path of movement of the conveyor belt 2|. During their travel on the conveyor chains 32 each board or plank is checked and graded by an inspectcor, indicated at 34 in Fig. l and thereafter removed from the conveyor 31 and arranged in suitable piles.

The resent invention is concerned primarily with the means for guiding the boards l5 from the railway car it and onto the conveyor belt 2| and, as previously mentioned, this means includes a ramp member 30. The ramp member consists of a metal sheet of substantially trapezoidal shape in plan view (Fig. 1), the member having a relatively narrow end 36, a wider end 31 and tapering lateral edges 38. The narrow end 36 constitutes the receiving end of the ramp member and preferably is of a width substantially equal to the standard width of box car doorways to adapt it to be arranged adjacent to or to enter said doorways. The wider end 31, which is termed the delivery end, is adapted to overlie the conveyor belt 2|. The ramp member 30 is symmetrical about a line or longitudinal axis passing through the centers of the ends 36 and 3? so that the lateral edges 38 diverge an equal amount from the longitudinal axis in a direction toward the delivery end 36. The ramp member 30 is bent or deflected at a slight angle adjacent the receiving end 36 to provide a transversely extending obtuse corner or ridge 40. The metal adjacent the lateral edges 38 is also deflected downwardly at a slight angle to provide obtuse fulcrum ridges or corners M which intersect the ridge 4% to provide the apices indicated at 42 in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the portions of the lateral edges 38 adjacent the receiving end of the ramp member slope away from the longitudinal axis at a lesser angle than the remaining portions of these edges so that the ridges 41' which form a continuation of the ridges 4| also diverge at a lesser angle.

The ramp member 38 is suitably reinforced by structural sections (not shown) and has bearing brackets 45 secured to its under side. The bearing brackets :15 are pivotally connected to pivot pins 46 held in the ends of brackets ll secured to a beam 48 extending between the upper ends of a pair of spaced standards d9 arranged adjacent the side of the conveyor system 20. In this manner the ramp member 3a is pivotally mounted to adapt it to be inclined at various angles with respect to the horizontal. Any suitable means may be provided for pivoting the ramp member 30, Fig. 3 showing a device 50 for this purpose. The device 50 includes a frame 5| on which is rotatably mounted a reel or pulley 52 around which a cable 53 is wound, the free end of the cable being attached to a channel iron 54 fastened to the under side .of theramp member actiacent its delivery end .31.. The shaft .55 .of the reel 52 carries a worm wheel :56 which is adapted to be rotated by a worm 75] having a manually rotatable handle 58 connected thereto. By turning the handle 58 the angle of inclination of the ramp. member may :be varied and by winding up the cable 513 the ramp member maybe disposed in a substantially vertical plane as indicated by the dash lines in Fig. 3 so. as towithdraw the end 36 of the member away from the track is to prevent interference with cars being moved therealong; In many instances railway tracks, especially sidings of spur tracks, are located on the railway right-of -way and outside the boundary line defining the property of the lumher firm or other establishment and thus, in order to locate any material handling equipment close to the track, such equipment is usually of a portable or mobile character adapted to be moved onto and off said right-.of-way. In the present invention, the standards 49 may be located on or close to the property line and form part of he boundary fence, wall or other enclosure so that when the ramp member is in the position indicated by dash lines in Fig. 3 it closes a gap or opening in the-enclosure and when it is swung downwardly to a position such as shown by full lines in Fig. 3 it will temporarily overlie the railway property in position to facilita-te the unloading of a car. It is thus apparent that the present improved unloading apparatus may be permanently erected on the property of the lumber establishment and yet be capable of facilitating unloading of railway cars located outside the property. The angle of inclination of the ramp member 36 may be adjusted in accordonce with the height of the pile of lumber resting on the floor of the car so that a board may be withdrawn from the top of the pile and its end conveniently moved onto the ramp member without requiring lifting of the board. By adjustin; the inclination of the ramp member in accordance with the type and weight of the lumber to be unloaded, the downward sliding movement or the board may be positively controlled.

It is desirable that the ramp member be also adjustable vertically so that it may be disposed at various heights to properly locate it with respect to the top of the pile of lumber. That is to say when a board is slid off fromthe top of the pile and swun laterally through the doorway, it is necessary that the ramp member be at a height to receive the leading end of the board which is tilted downwardly at this time. While any suitable means, such as a hydraulic ram, may be provided for raising and lowering the ramp member 38, the present drawings show a pair of mechanical elevator units 53 for accomplishing this operation. Referring to Figs. 4 to 8, the ramp elevating and lowering means comprises a pair of u.-sh-aped members 6e, each of which is slidable vertically within one of the standards 49. Each of the members 68 is adapted to be raised and lowered by means of four cables 6!, one end of each cable being attached as at 62 to a side of the member. Each of the cables El extends upwardly and passes around a freely rotatable pulley B3 on the standard 49 and around a simi lar pulley e4 located adjacent the lower end of the standard. From the pulleys 54 the several cables 6| lead to connectors 65. which join the four cables of each elevator unit 59, to a pair of:

single ables 66 an .61 which are connected to.

a ibiOGkufiIld-tfifiklfl system indicated at 710 in Figsp and 5. The cable 11 of the block-andtackle system it extends around idler pulleys and is wound onto a rotatable drum 12 having a worm :wheel 73. The worm wheel i3 :is adapted to be rotated by a worm .74 having a crank or handle connected thereto. As the cable 7! is wound .onto the drum .12 it acts through the block-.andetackle system 'lfl to exert a punch the several cables :ti and therebvraise simultaneously the Ulshaped member :50 of each elevator unit fit. Sl-idable within each iii-shaped member 60 is a tubular sleeve 21.8 having its upper flanged end connected to and supporting the beam 48, previously described, on which the ramp member 35! is :pivotally mounted. Connected to the lower end .of each sleeve 18 are four cables it which pass upwardly and around freely rotatable pulleys so at the upper end of each sleeve. From the pulleys tit, the oables extend downwardly with their lower ends attached at St to the flanged base of each standard 49. A mechanical advantage is derived through the arrangement of cables and pulleys described above so that the sleeves '78, together with the ramp member 30, are raised and lowered at a faster rate than the :U.-.shaped members 89 are raised and lowered thus a small amount of rotation of the operating handle i5 imparts considerable vertical movement to the ramp member to adapt the latter to be adjusted to meet the requireme-nts.

The individual-boards 45 may be fed, manually onto the ramp member 38 from the piles within the boxcar it and in this case a guide roller (not shown) may be provided at the receiving end of the ramp member, the roller serving to support the leading end of a board-during its initial sliding movement onto th ramp member. Such a guide roller may be mounted for angular adjustment in a horizontal plane so as to direct the boards in the desired direction. In order to expedite the unloading of the lumber I prefer to employ a pair of vertically spaced guide rollers 8.5 and :86 rotatable in a frame 81 which is pivoted to a bracket 88 arranged for lateral adjustment along the receiving end 36 of the ramp member 30. The lower roller 86 is rotated by an electric motor '89 and gear connections 9!! and the upper rollerBB is spring-pressed against the lower roller. Thus, when the leading end of a board I5 is in- Sorted between the rollers 85 and 85, the board is fed automatically onto the ramp member 30 and during this ieeding'movement the operator or workman (indicated ate! in Fig. 1) may withdraw another board from the pile. Thus a continuous and systematic unloading of the lumber from the car is effected and the operation is greatly expedited. Since the boards are held firmly between the feed rollers s5 and as, the possibility of the boards pivoting or whipping around to cause injury to the workman is entirely avoided.

After the trailing ends of the boards l5 fall from the rollers 85 86 onto the ramp member 30 they tend to pivot on one or the other of the ridges 4|, depending upon the direction of initial sliding movement of the boards, and to eventually assume a position at right angles to the iongitudinal axis of the ramp member so that when they slide off the lower delivery end of the ramp member and onto the conveyor belt 2| they assume a position with their long sides extending lengthwise of the conveyor belt to be transported thereby; When relatively long, heavy boards are being unloaded they-gain considerable momentum 7. and as they slide and pivot rapidly on the ramp member they sometimes bounce violently on the ramp member. When this condition exists the boards are apt to come to rest on the conveyor belt 21 at an angle to the conveyor. To prevent such a condition, I provide a guide-board or back stop member 95 which extends lengthwise of the conveyor belt 2| at the side opposite the ramp member 38. The member 9-5 is supported by a framework 96 and preferably is inclined to the vertical with its lower end overlying the conveyor belt 2 l. It will be apparent that if a board slides rapidly from the ramp member 30 and tends to override the conveyor belt 2| it will strike the backstop member 95 and be diverted thereby downwardly onto the conveyor belt and should the board be canted the member 95 will act to rearrange it in alignment with the path of movement of the conveyor belt.

Assuming that it is desired to remove lumber from a railway box car 16, the car is first moved along the track 18 to align its central doorway 1] with the longitudinal centerline or axis of the ramp member 30 after which the ramp member 30 is adjusted in accordance with the requirements. In a fully loaded box car the boards or planks iii are arranged in two piles, one at each end of the car, with a clearnace space provided between the piles at the center of the car. The piles of lumber extend upwardly to a point close to the roof of the car and the uppermost boards are, of course, unloaded first. Assuming the car iii to be loaded in the above manner, the ramp member 30 is first tilted from the inoperative upright position indicated by dash lines in Fig. 3

to a slightly inclined position such as shown by full lines in this view. After the ramp member 30 has been adjusted to the proper angle it is raised by the elevator units 49 until its receiving end 36 is disposed at a suitable distance above the floor of the box car 16. The boards l may be unloaded from either end of the car and assuming that they are to be removed first from the end of the car indicated at lllll in Fig. 1, the feed roller unit 85, 88 is adjusted to the position shown in this view, that is, with the axes of the feed rollers disposed substantially at right angles to a line drawn from the pile of lumber located at Hid through the vertical centerline of the doorway ll. After the parts of the unloading apparatus have been adjusted in the above manner the various motors for the feed rollers 85, 86 and for the conveyor units and 3! are started and the apparatus is ready for operation.

To unload a board from the box car, the operator 9i assumes a position at the approximate center of the car and, after sliding a board 15 off the top of the pile, swings the leading end of the board outwardly toward the doorway l1 and simultaneously tilts the forward or leading end of the board downwardly and inserts this end between the continuously rotating feed rollers 85 and 85 which then act to eject the board from the car. Because of the angular setting of the feed rollers 85 and 86 the board I5 is propelled forwardly at a considerable angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ramp member 39. As shown in Figs. 1 and 10, the lower surface of the leading end of the board l5 first contacts the ridges 4i! and 4! adjacent the apex 42 and these ridges offer frictional resistance tending to retard the movement of the leading end of the board in a direction toward the delivery end 31 of the ramp member 30. As the board [5 continues its sliding movement it is caused to move across the fulcrum ridge 4! which also impedes its bodily move: ment toward the conveyor 2|. After the trailing end of the board l5 passes through and is freed by the guide rollers 85 and 86, the board will pivot on the fulcrum ridge 4| and its trailing end will fall upon the ramp member. Since the board then rests entirely upon the inclined central portion of the ramp member it is free to slide bodily toward the conveyor belt 2|. It is to be noted at this point, that due to the fact that the leading end of the board is frictionally held against excessive downward sliding movement by the diagonal ridge 4 I, the board is positively and automatically directed in a path which is inclined only slightly with respect to the path of movement of the conveyor belt 2 i. It is thus apparent that the necessity of pivoting the board manually is avoided and this is extremely important because such an operation would require great effort on the part of the workman, it having been determined that when a large heavy board is slid out of the doorway to a point wherein its projecting end overbalances the end within the car it is practically impossible to control either the rate or direction of further movement of the board and the board has a stron tendency to whip around to present a hazardous condition. Because the movement of the board is positively and accurately controlled without the aid of the workman, the time usuall spent in manually guiding the board to a second workman or to workmen stationed outside the car is eliminated and thus the unloading of the lumber from the car is greatly expedited. This saving of time results in a reduction in the overall cost of the lumber because it eliminates demurrage charges which heretofore have been paid when the railway cars were detained due to the lack of suitable unloading equipment.

As each board approaches the conveyor belt 2| it assumes a position approximately parallel with the path of movement of the conveyor belt. The boards usually slide off the ramp member 30 with sufiicient speed to cause them to strike the inclined backstop'QE which serves to positively arrange them in alignment with and to guide them onto the conveyor belt 2]. The operation above outlined is continued as long as the pile of lumber remains. When all the lumber has been removed from the end I of the box car Hi the same operation is repeated in unloading the boards from the other end of the car, it being only necessary to reverse the position of the feed rollers 85, 36 as shown in Fig. 9 to cause the boards to be ejected from the car in the direction indicated in this view. After the car l6 has been completel unloaded, the ramp member 30 is pivoted upwardly so as not to interfere with the movement of cars on the track l8, after which another loaded car may be disposed adjacent the ramp member for unloading purposes.

It will be observed from the foregoing that my invention provides an apparatus which when applied to use in unloading long, slender objects, such as lumber, from various types of railroad cars, greatly facilitates and expedites the .unloading operation. Through the use of my apparatus it is possible for a single workman to unload the lumber in a fraction of the time usually required when unloading a car by the conventional methods. Since it is possible to unload the lumber at a faster rate by a single workman, it is obvious that the cost of unloading the lumber is very substantially reduced. Moreover, because the unloading operation is expeaeagioa 9 dited, the payment of demurrage' charges, due to a calming detained beyond an. allowable period of time, is entirely avoided and thus the, over-all cost of unloading-the cars is reduced to a minimum. It is to be particularly noted that the apparatus is adapted for'use in unloading lumber of various lengths, widths, thicknesses and weights and may be considered automatic: in positively supporting and guiding the lumber from the car. The apparatus is readily adjustable to accommodate the various types of lumber and, as an added feature, the ramp is so constructed and adjustably mounted that it can be placed in a permanent location adjacent the track to sible for a single man in the car to' control the movement of the individual boards from the piles through the doorway by his own weight because the projecting ends of the boards tend to swing around due to the fact that they overbalance the Weight of the workman. Due to this condition, the boards slide along the sill of the doorway and tend to Whip around, entirely out of control, often causing injury both to the workman or workmen in the car and to those stationed outside the car for receiving the boards. With the present apparatus, however, each board is unloaded from thecar under positive control and in a systematic manner so that undesirable and uncontrollable movement of the board is entirely eliminated and accidental striking of the single workman in the car is avoided. Thus it is seen that the apparatus not only facilitates" and expedites the unloading operation but safeguards against injury to the workman and reduces fatigue to a minimum.

As an extremely important feature of invention, the means for guiding the individual boards from the railroad car consists merely in an inclined ridge across which the leading end of a board is initially directed to positively control the forward movement of the board from the car by adequately supporting the leading end and offering frictional resistance to prevent its swinging downwardly too far ahead of the trailingend of the board. The board, being effectively guided and controlled, may readily be handledv by a single workman stationed on or within the car and, since conveyor means are provided for receiving the individual boards unloaded from the and for automatically transporting the boards to a station for tallyingand inspecting, it is unnecessary to employ workmen stationed alongside the car for handling the lumber unloaded therefrom.

While improvedmaterial handling apparatus has'been here-in shown and described as embodied in a preferred form of construction, by way of example, it is to be understood that variouschanges may be made in its construction and in the manner of applying it to use without departing from the spirit of the invention and I'therefore reserve the right toall such-changes as properly come within the scope of thaappended claims;v

asmy invention:

10 1. An apparatus for: handling; relatively long; narrow objects, including: a: movable conveyor adapted totransport said objects lengthwise in a rectilinear path; andaan inclined ramp member having alongitudinat axis. extending normal to the path of movement ofrsaid conveyor, .said' ramp member having stationary-,. rigid} inclined ful crummeans disposed: laterally ofthe axis of? said ramp member andradaptedztoreceivei andsupport the. leading end of objectzslid. diagonally onto said'ramp member and operative toresist downward sliding movement ofsaid object: along said ramp. member so as to cause said. object to turn on said ramp member:and assume apositionsub stantially parallel to the path of movement of said conveyor prior to. its final sliding movement along said rampv member: and onto" said conveyor: 2. An apparatus for handling relatively long; narrow objects, including: a movable conveyor adapted to transportsaid objects lengthwise: in; a rectilinear-path; andi an-inclinedramp member having a: longitudinal axisv extending: normal to the path of movementiofsaid conveyor, said ramp member having stationary, rigid, inclined fulcrum means disposed laterally of said longitudinal axis andadaptedto receive and support the lead ing end of an object: slid onto'said. ramp. member at an angl'e to said longitudinal axis and operative to frictionallyresistslidingmovement of said object along said: ramp: member so as to cause said object to turn; on; said ramp member" and as sume a position. substantially parallel to the path of movement of said conveyor'prior to its final sliding movement along: said: ramp member and ontosaidconveyor;v

3; An apparatus as defined irrclaim 2: in which said fulcrum means is: provided as an integral ridge on said rampmember: V 4.. An apparatusfor handling relatively long, narrow objects, including: a movable conveyor adapted to transport said objects lengthwisein a rectilinear path; an inclinediramp member having a longitudinal: axis: extending normal to the path of movement: of said conveyor; and station ary', rigid fulcrum means on said ramp member disposed laterally of said: longitudinal axis and adapted to receive and support the leading end of an object slid. ontosaid ramp member inan oblique direction with respect tosaid longitudinal axis and operative to: frictionally restrain said object from sliding movement in a direction to ward said conveyor only during the-initial lengthwisesliding'movement of said object on said ramp member, said fulcrum means serving as a pivot about which said object may be turned to cause said object to assume a position substantially parallel to the path of movement of said conveyorpriortothe' completion of its sliding movement along said ramp member and onto said-conveyor, said fulcrum means being inoperative When said" object'- issupported inits entirety upon said ramp member. '5. An' apparatus for handling relatively long, narrow objects," including: a movable conveyor adapted to transport said objects lengthwisein arectilinearpath; and an inclined ramp member having alongitudinal axis extending normal to thepath of'movement' of said conveyor and having a delivery 'enddisposed above said conveyor, said ramp member having lateral edges diverging in a direction toward said conveyor, said objects being adapted to slide transversely along said ramp member and thereafter fall from said ramp member onto; said conveyor, said ramp inember having anintegral; stationary, rigid ful crum ridge diverging from said'longitudinal axis in a direction toward said conveyor and across which the leading ends of said objects are adapted to slide, said fulcrum ridge serving to support the leading ends of said objects during their initial lengthwise sliding movement on said ramp member and to frictionally retard the forward sliding movement of said objects to cause said objects to turn on said ramp member and assume a position substantially parallel to the path of movement of said conveyor prior to their fall from said delivery end upon said conveyor, said fulcrum means being inoperative when said object is supported in its entirety upon said ramp memher.

6. An apparatus for handling relatively long, narrow objects, including: a horizontally movable conveyor adapted to transport said objects in a rectilinear path; a ramp member of substantially trapezoidal shape having its edge of greatest length disposed above said conveyor and its edge of minimum length spaced from said conveyor, the longitudinal axis of said ramp member extending normal to the path of movement of said conveyor and said ramp member being inclined with respect to the horizontal, said ramp member having its lateral edges diverging in a direction toward said conveyor; and a fulcrum ridge extending substantially parallel to at least one of said lateral edges and serving to support the leading ends of said objects during their initial lengthwise sliding movement on said ramp member and to retard the forward sliding movement of said objects to cause said objects to turn on said ramp member and assume aposition substantially parallel to the path of movement of said conveyor prior to their fall from said delivery end upon said conveyor.

'7. An apparatus as defined in claim 6 in which the material of said ramp member adjacent said lateral diverging edges slopes downwardly to provide said fulcrum ridges.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 6 and including means associated with said ramp member for supporting the trailing end of said object during its initial sliding movement on said ramp member.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 6 and including roller means associated with said ramp member for supporting the trailing end of said object during its initial sliding movement on said ramp member.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 6 and including adjustable rollermeans associated with said ramp member for supporting the trailing end of said object during its initial sliding movement on said ramp member.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 6 and including power-operated roller means adapted to feed said object onto said ramp member with the leading end of said object resting upon said fulcrum ridge and to release the trailing end of said object to permit pivotal and sliding movemen of said object on said ramp member.

12. An apparatus for handling relatively long, narrow objects, including: a movable conveyor adapted to transport said objects in a rectilinear path; an inclined ramp member having a longitudinal axis extending normal to the path of movement of said conveyor and provided with a stationary, rigid ridge diverging from said longitudinal axis in a direction toward said conveyor, said ramp member having lateral edges diverging in a direction toward said conveyor, said ridge being adapted .to receive and support only the leading end of an object slid onto said ramp member at an angle to said longitudinal axis and to oiier frictional resistance to the forward longitudinal movement of said object so as to prevent said leading end of said object from sliding toward said conveyor at a faster rate than the trailing end of said object.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 and including means for adjusting the inclination of said ramp member so as to dispose its said delivery end at selected heights above said conveyor.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 and ineluding standards disposed adjacent said conveyor and spaced longitudinally thereof, means for pivotally mounting said ramp member on said standards so as to dispose its said delivery end at selected heights above said conveyor, and cable means for pivoting said ramp member to adjust the inclination thereof.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 and including an inclined backstop member extending longitudinally of said conveyor and disposed at the side of said conveyor opposite said ramp member, said backstop member being disposed across the inclined plane of said ramp member and adapted to direct said objects delivered by said ramp member onto said conveyor in a direction parallel to the path of movement of said conveyor.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 and including a backstop member extending longitudinaily of said conveyor and disposed at the side of said conveyor opposite said ramp member, said backstop member being inclined to the vertical with its lower edge overlying said conveyor to adapt it to direct said objects delivered by said ramp member onto said conveyor in a direction parallel to the path of movement of said conveyor.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 and including standards disposed adjacent said conveyor and spaced longitudinally thereof, means for adjustably mounting said ramp member on said standards for movement toward and away from said conveyor, and means for pivotally adjusting said ramp member to adjust the height of said delivery end of said ramp member relative to said conveyor.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 and including standards disposed adjacent said conveyor and spaced longitudinally thereof, means for mounting said ramp member for vertical movement on said standards, and cable means for effecting vertical movement of said ramp member to adjust the height of said ramp member with respect to said conveyor.

19. An apparatus for facilitating the unloading of lumber from a railway car, comprising: a conveyor movable in a rectilinear path substantially parallel to the length of said car and adapted to transport strips of said lumber; an inclined ramp member having a longitudinal axis extending normal to the path of movement of said conveyor and provided with a delivery end disposed above said conveyor and a receiving end adapted to be disposed within the doorway of said car, said strips being adapted to be slid along said ramp member to cause them to be delivered upon said conveyor, said ramp member having fulcrum ridges diverging from said longitudinal axis in a direction toward said conveyor and adapted to receive and support the leading ends of said strips removed from said car and slid lengthwise onto said ramp member at an angle with respect to said longitudinal axis and to retard the forward sliding movement of said strips and cause said strips to turn on said ramp member and assume a position substantially parallel to the path of movement of said conveyor prior to their fall from said delivery end onto said conveyor; means for mounting said ramp member to adapt it to move vertically; and means for moving said ramp member vertically to dispose its receiving end at different heights above the floor of said car.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 19 and including means for pivotally mounting said ramp member to adapt it to pivot on a horizontal axis extending parallel to the path of movement of said conveyor; means for pivoting said ramp member to adjust its inclination and to withdraw its receiving end from the doorway of said car to permit movement of said car; and a second conveyor movable in a path extending normal to said first-mentioned conveyor and below the path of v movement of said first-mentioned conveyor said second conveyor being adapted to receive said strips transported by said first-mentioned conveyor and to convey said strips in a direction away 14 from said first-mentioned conveyor and with said strips disposed transversely of said second conveyor.

PAUL PENBERTHY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 462,312 Goodyear Nov. 3, 1891 617,968 Oberst Jan. 17, 1899 804,761 Otterman Nov. 14, 1905 1,120,200 Jensen Dec. 8, 1914 1,272,633 Davison July 16, 1918 1,331,273 Marble Feb. 17, 1920 1,481,712 Huckins Jan. 22, 1924 1,642,357 Case Sept. 13, 1927 2,312,450 Smith Mar. 2, 1943 2,424,692 Harshberger July 29, 1947 2,467,113 Deiters Apr. 12, 1949 

